


Men never, ever, ever hug other men

by MarchnoGirl



Series: Tumblr Drabbles [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Draco Malfoy & Pansy Parkinson Friendship, Fluff, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Hugs, Lucius Malfoy Being an Asshole, M/M, Malfoys stupid rules, Post-Battle of Hogwarts, Roommates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2020-01-11 01:48:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18420332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarchnoGirl/pseuds/MarchnoGirl
Summary: Draco has needed a hug for ten years.Harry is there to give it to him.





	Men never, ever, ever hug other men

**Author's Note:**

  * For [donnarafiki](https://archiveofourown.org/users/donnarafiki/gifts).



> This is a little thing I wrote for Donna and her love for hugs! ❤️
> 
>  **Disclaimer** : All Harry Potter characters herein are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended.
> 
>  **Thank you** to my wonderful beta: [OTPShipper98](https://archiveofourown.org/users/OTPshipper98)!😍

“Draco, you can’t say  _I love you_  like that, it is an important deal. I’ve told you too many times, I’m tired of always repeating the same thing,” Lucius admonished his son, staring at him with arctic eyes.

Draco froze, his eyes already shining with tears. “But…I understood what you told me, Father. I can’t say  _I love you_  to anyone who’s not my partner, because love is a fiction, and we, as Purebloods, must know when to play the right cards — ”

Lucius nodded, visibly cheered up by his son’s words. “Then why did you say  _I love you_  to Pansy, just a moment ago?”

Draco tightened his lips and looked at Pansy. She was slightly trembling; she had confessed to him that Lucius terrified her. He felt a lump forming in his throat, but he couldn’t cry in front of his Father. That was another rule they had. Malfoys never showed their weaknesses in front of anyone, not even their family.

He swallowed his tears and tried to talk steadily. “Because...we are friends, she hugged me and I felt like it…I — ”

Lucius shook his head, sighing. “Of course you did, Draco, she’s your friend and you’ve grown fond of her. That doesn’t mean you can go and say  _I love you_  just like that. You have to be careful what you say, to whom you’re saying it, when, and why. Four W’s, it’s all you have to remember.”

Draco nodded. He looked up to avoid tears streaming down his lashes and didn’t blink. “Yes, Father. I’m sorry.”

Lucius turned to Pansy, satisfied. “I’m glad you are friends with my son, Pansy, but you should have learned by now a Pureblood lady never shows affection for anyone who’s not their husband, no matter the age. You are children, but surely you can understand simple things like these. Don’t embarrass your family again, is it clear?”

Pansy’s eyebrows were knitted, her lips trembling; her efforts to avoid tearing up in front of Lucius Malfoy were evident. She shared a panicked look with Draco, who nodded to prod her. She cleared her throat. “Yes, Mr Malfoy. I am sorry if I caused distress between our families.”

Lucius smiled and briefly puffed her cheek. “Don’t exaggerate, Pansy, no such thing happened. I welcome your friendship, but our families aren’t betrothed, so beware, okay?”

The children nodded, not daring to look at each other now. Lucius stood up and left the room, wishing them a good day with their games.

But they didn’t play together anymore that day. They went to Draco’s favourite spot in Malfoy Manor’s gardens and talked about love, friendship, Pureblood rules and families.

Draco was nine. That’s when he started to suspect all those things about Purebloods and Half-bloods, Mud-bloods and Muggles were just a big pile of bullshit. But neither he nor Pansy had the courage to say so out loud. They’d learned their lesson.

*****

Draco was eighteen the first time he hugged someone again who wasn’t his partner. He had started the so-called Eighth-year at Hogwarts and he shared a common room with all of his former classmates, without house distinctions.

For House Unity, McGonagall had said.

Draco found himself sharing a room with Harry bloody Potter.

Again, for House Unity, McGonagall had said.

After the first months spent side-eyeing the other while they got ready for bed, sharing awkward moments — “Fuck, Potter, close the door when you’re in the bathroom!” — and staying silent most of the time, things changed.

A few days before Christmas, Draco came back to their room with his face covered in blood. He slammed the door behind him and launched himself on the bed, smearing the pillow with blood. Potter didn’t say anything — he just approached him.

“Do you need help with that?”

Draco replied with his mouth pressed against the pillow. “I most certainly don’t need our precious Saviour’s help. Wouldn’t want anyone to think you get involved with such a filthy piece of scum like me.”

Potter’s tone seemed amused, the git. “Is this what they told you while beating the shit out of you?”

Draco slowly turned his head to scowl at him. “What do you want, Potter?”

He shrugged. “To help you.”

Draco rolled his eyes but sat up on the bed. He spat, “Stupid Saviour, with his stupid Hero Complex. I’m perfectly fine.”

Without bothering for an answer, Potter raised a hand to brush his fingers against Draco’s cheek, where a deep cut was drenching his skin. Draco winced, taken aback. The fucking wound hurt.

Potter smirked. “You don’t seem perfectly fine.” He brushed his fingers on Draco’s cut again and Draco felt heat tickling his skin, followed by a strong pulling all around the edges of the cut. Potter had healed his stupid cut with fucking  _wandless and wordless_  magic.

Even worse, Potter’s magic prickling his skin had done weird things to Draco, who was now feeling shivers running down his spine and butterflies hovering in his stomach.

He cleared his throat and tried to assume a cold stare. “I didn’t say you could heal me! And, and — you’re a show-off! Yeah!” He pushed Potter’s chest backwards, but something even weirder happened.

Potter grabbed Draco’s hands on his chest, pulling him up with him until they were standing mere inches apart, so close that Potter’s breath was ghosting over his chin. Draco felt those goddamn shivers again.

Potter sucked in a breath and whispered, “You shouldn’t believe them. You’ve done some shit, but you aren’t evil. You are worth living, you are worth feeling, and you are worth studying here with all of us.”

Draco felt the ground shifting beneath his feet. His knees buckled and he lost balance, falling like a thin leaf between Potter’s arms. Potter held Draco against his chest, gripping tight, stroking his back while Draco let his tears soak Potter’s pyjamas. He started to sob, muttering incoherent apologies — for what he’d done, for what he hadn’t done — telling Potter he was wrong, that he wasn’t worth living, nor surviving the war.

Potter didn’t say anything — he just embraced Draco tight against his chest, lulling him through his crisis.  

When Draco felt like he had nothing else to say, to cry out, no more tears to shed, he sniffled and reached with his arms for Potter’s back, finally able to return the hug. Shame instilled in Draco’s chest and he hid his face in the crook of Potter’s neck, hoping he’d vanish that instant.

No such luck.

He was very solid and concrete against Potter and he suddenly felt like laughing. So, he did. He started with a quiet snort that soon became proper laughter, his voice thundering out of his mouth like a fountain of living waters.

Potter let go of him, regarding him with wrinkled eyebrows, but soon started laughing with him, eyes quickly filling up with tears.

They let their bodies fall on Draco’s bed, still laughing. Draco huffed and stretched a hand on his face, trying to get a hold on himself. “Fuck, Potter, that was weird. You know, my Father…” He glanced at Potter, not sure he could talk about Lucius in front of him. But he didn’t seem baffled; he was looking at Draco expectantly, his head crooked, his eyes intent, his lips half raised.

“Erm, right, my Father always told me that I shouldn’t hug anyone who wasn’t my partner. That it wouldn’t be appropriate. This is the first time someone has hugged me in almost ten years.” He let out a bitter laugh, that didn’t match Potter’s this time.

He was looking at Draco with his face scrunched up, eyebrows knitted. His arms wrapped around Draco’s shoulders once again. “Fucking Merlin’s tits, that’s horrible. And sad. Everyone needs hugs.”

Starting that day, Harry made a habit of hugging Draco literally everywhere and in every moment of the day, no matter if there was a good reason for it or if it was appropriate. He would just turn to him or reach him, wrap his strong arms around Draco’s waist or neck or shoulders, and hold him tight, whispering in his ear he was worth it.

One day, towards the end of the year, they were all sunbathing near the Black Lake together, relishing the calm of being real teenagers, finally. Harry was sat with his back against a tree, and Draco was resting against his chest, Harry’s hands on his belly.

Ron rolled his eyes and pouted. “For Godric’s sake, will you kiss already? It’s been  _ages_  since you started hugging like bloody children all over the place! Just get on with it!”

Draco felt his face growing hot and thanked the sun, that was probably burning his skin, for hiding his embarrassment. He knew his feelings towards Harry were slowly melting into something beyond friendship, but they had never talked about it.

He was wondering what he could possibly reply to something like that, with all of their friends staring at them, when he felt Potter’s heartbeat quickening against his back and his breath faltering against his ear. His voice trembled. “Maybe you’re right.”

Before Harry’s words could completely sink in, Draco found himself drowned in Harry’s mouth, his lips hot and wet, his teeth gently nipping at his bottom lip, his tongue darting inside, making Draco dizzy with joy.

His Father could be damned, with his stupid rules and his  _men never, ever, ever hug other men_.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> Kudos and comments are welcomed.❤️
> 
> Find me on [Tumblr](https://drarryruinedme7.tumblr.com/)!


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